Effect of Shock-Wave Boundary Layer Interaction on Vibratory Response of Compliant Panel

Abstract

Flight vehicles that operate in the supersonic regime can be subject to adverse fluid-structure interactions due to their lightweight design. The presence of geometric obstructions such as control surfaces or fins can induce compression shocks that can interact with the boundary layer, leading to flow separation. The interaction of flow, compression shock and structural dynamics is very difficult to model and currently only poorly understood. This work investigates experimentally the interaction between a compliant panel in a Mach 2 flow under a ramp-induced shock wave boundary layer interaction (SWBLI). Brass panels of length 4.8" and width 2.5" and different thicknesses (h=0.020", 0.016", 0.012" and 0.010") are investigated. Tests are performed both with and without a compression ramp installed. This direct comparison allows characterization of the effect of the SWBLI on the system dynamics. High-speed stereoscopic digital image correlation (DIC) and fast-response pressure sensitive paint (PSP) are used to obtain simultaneous full field deformation and surface pressure of the panels. The results show that the shock induced by the 20-degree compression ramp leads to separation of the turbulent boundary layer close to the ramp starting at about 80\% of the panel length. This results in a region of large pressure fluctuations which primarily increase the vibration amplitude of the second panel mode. Analysis of the fundamental mode, which contains most of the vibration energy of the panel, shows that the SWBLI does not lead to changes of this mode, neither in frequency, amplitude or mode shape. On the other hand, analysis of the shock foot motion shows that the shock primarily oscillates at the fundamental frequency of the panel. This means that while the shock and panel oscillate at the same frequency, it is not two-way coupling. The panel vibration dictates the motion of the shock, but the shock (or rather the SWBLI) does not modify the fundamental panel vibration beyond the forcing provided by the turbulent boundary layer. Full field surface pressure predictions are made using linearized potential flow theory, which relates the local slope of the panel to the surface pressure. Results are found to be in good agreement in the region of attached flow.